Pope Francis will lead the celebratory mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday evening, during which he will start the jubilee holy year announced for 2025 by opening the holy gates of the basilica. The extraordinary ceremony ensemble begins in the entrance hall of St. Peter's Basilica.
According to the Vatican's preliminary announcement, after a short prayer accompanied by singing and the reading of a part of the Gospel, Pope Francis will go to the holy gate of the basilica and open the gate to start the holy year. The main language of the readings, songs and prayers is Latin, but they also pray in English, French and Spanish.
At the last moment, it is decided whether the archbishop, who is suffering from the flu, will approach the gate on foot or in a wheelchair.
The holy gate has been closed since 2016 - the end of the extraordinary holy year ordered by Pope Francis at the time. Eight years ago, it was bricked up, and the brick wall was demolished in recent weeks.
According to an older tradition, the pope hits the holy gate with a smaller decorative hammer, but Pope Francis in 2016 and before II. In the holy year of 2000, János Pál also unfolded it more simply, without hitting it with a hammer, with his hands. When the gate is opened, the Pope says the usual Latin formula, which indicates that he is opening the gate of truth.
When the gate is opened, Pope Francis stops and prays in silence, then the bells of the basilica ring.
Every detail of the start of the New Year together with Christmas Eve promises to be rich in symbols. The Holy See daily L'Osservatore Romano reminded us that the two dominant colors of the papal clothing will be gold and green: gold symbolizes eternity, and green is the color of hope, since hope will be the central message of the jubilee holy year.
The figures of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul were embroidered on the pope's liturgical cloak, as well as anchors, which also refer to hope.
After the opening of the gate, Pope Francis will be the first to pass through it, followed by members of the Church, as well as fifty believers representing all parts of the world. The countries include Iran and India.
The opening of the holy gate will be attended by Italian and foreign leaders of political, institutional and cultural life, including the Prime Minister of Rome, Giorgia Meloni.
After entering the basilica through the holy gate, Pope Francis goes to the newly restored high altar, where he leads a solemn mass. This Mass is the very first event of the Jubilee Holy Year.
At the mass on December 24, children representing the continents bring flowers to the statue of the child Jesus placed at the altar, which is placed in the nativity scene of the basilica at the end of the mass.
Church and lay people will be present in the basilica, a total of seven thousand people can fit in; those who miss out can follow the event on the projectors of Szent Péter tér.
Since 2000, the one just starting will be the third holy year: in the ecclesiastical year ending January 6, 2026, the Vatican is counting on the arrival of more than thirty million pilgrims. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi directly spoke of forty million visitors. According to estimates, 2.5 million may come from the United States and 800,000 from Germany.
Among the most significant events of the holy year are the so-called jubilee meetings, when the Pope receives representatives of various professions and social groups. Great anticipation precedes the jubilee of young people at the end of July, for which more than a million young people from all over the world are expected, and the jubilee of teenagers at the end of April is also a novelty, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who is responsible for the programs at the Vatican.
At noon on December 25, Pope Francis will deliver his Christmas speech from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the constant theme of which is peace. After the speech, he gives his Urbi et Orbi blessing to the city of Rome and the world.
From Wednesday afternoon, pilgrims can pass through the holy gate of the basilica: every day of the year from morning to evening for free, without prior reservation. You will only be able to stop and pray at the gate for a very short time, the crowd will be directed.
On December 26, the Pope will open the holy gate established there in the Rebibbia prison in Rome, and then give a speech in St. Peter's Square.
On December 29, the holy gates of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome will open together with the holy gates of churches around the world.
As for security measures, the Vatican will be considered a red zone from Monday. From one o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, St. Peter's Square and its surroundings will be almost hermetically closed: vehicular traffic will be completely prohibited, and the area of the Papal State outside the Vatican walls will only be accessible on foot.
On the roads leading from the nearby metro stations to Szent Péter tér, you will only be able to travel through security corridors.
MTI
Cover photo: Pope Francis in the Vatican VI. Pál Hall, where he exchanged Christmas greetings with Vatican employees and their family members on December 21, 2024.
MTI/EPA/ANSA/Fabio Frustaci
